Jan 11, 2024 4 min read

Section play in girls basketball is not yet at the halfway point, but Waynesburg picked up a win Thursday night that might loom large when the season ends.

Trailing by eight points at halftime at South Park, Waynesburg stormed back in the second half for a 48-36 win in a key Class 3A Section 4 game.

The win gives Waynesburg (4-0, 13-1) sole possession of first place in the section. The Raiders trailed 21-13 at halftime but outscored the Eagles (3-1) by a whopping 35-15 margin in the second half.

Addison Blair led a balanced Waynesburg attack with 13 points. Three Raiders finished with nine points.

Burgettstown 51, Brentwood 25

Freshman guard Paige Klodowski scored 24 points and tied the school record with seven three-point field goals, sparking Burgettstown to a 51-25 victory at Brentwood in Class 2A Section 2.

Klodowski tied the single-game three-point field goal record held by Jill Frazier.

The win keeps Burgettstown (3-0, 7-8) in sole possession of first place in the section.

Kaitlyn Nease scored 13 points for the Blue Devils, who led 29-13 at halftime.

Ann Marie Henry had 14 points for Brentwood (2-2, 5-7).

Washington 56, California 41

Olivia Woods poured in a game-high 31 points and Washington picked up a 56-41 win at California in a key Class 2A Section 4 game.

The win improves the Prexies to 4-1 in the section and 5-7 overall. California slips to 3-2, 6-5.

In addition to Woods’ big game, Wash High received 10 points from Teyler Barnes and 14 rebounds from Kaprice Johnson. The Prexies led by seven points at halftime and maintained the edge through three quarters.

Rakiyah Porter again led California in scoring with 16 points.

Beth-Center 36, Bentworth 24

Violet Trump and Lauren Brown each had a double-double, sparking Beth-Center4 to a 36-24 win over visiting Bentworth in Class 2A Section 4.

Trump had 14 points to go with 13 rebounds, and Brown scored 10 points and collected 13 boards for the Bulldogs (3-2, 6-6), who built a double-digit lead by halftime.

Kayla O’Dell’s nine points led Bentworth (0-6, 3-11).

Fort Cherry 52, Northgate 19

The Rangers came out of the gates strong and never looked back in a 52-19 victory in Class 2A Section 2 play at Fort Cherry High School.

Fort Cherry (3-1, 9-4) had a 25-4 lead after the first quarter and increased its advantage to 37-12 at halftime. The Flames (2-2, 4-8) had a 7-6 edge in the third, but the Rangers outscored the visitors, 9-0, in the fourth quarter.

Fort Cherry’s Raney Staub scored a game-high 15 points.

Cassidy Auth led Northgate in scoring with 11 points.

McGuffey 57, Yough 31

McGuffey used a 19-point performance by Lexi Ewing to beat visiting Yough 57-31 in Class 3A Section 4.

Taylor Schurmacher chipped in with 10 points as McGuffey improved to 2-2 in section and 11-2 overall.

West Greene 52, Jefferson-Morgan 38

The Rockets’ Kayla Larkin scored a game-high 20 points, but the Pioneers were able to pull away with a 52-38 victory in Class A Section 2 play at West Greene.

The Pioneers (2-1, 3-7) were led in scoring by Kasie Meek, who put in 12.

Jefferson-Morgan’s Ava Wood added 11 points.

West Greene had a 14-8 lead after the first quarter and a 34-19 halftime advantage. The Rockets had a 19-18 scoring edge in the second half.

Monessen 57, Mapletown 32

The Greyhounds outscored the Maples by 19 in the second half and cruised to a 57-32 triumph in Class A Section 1 play at Mapletown.

Monessen (3-0, 6-2) had three players in double figures, led by Hailey Johnson, who was the game’s leading scorer with 13. Madison Johnson put in 12 and Na’Jaziah Carter added 11.

Isabella Garnek and Makenna Lotspeich each scored 12 for the Maples (2-2, 5-8),

Geibel Catholic 77, Avella 43

Emma Larkin scored 51 points for the Gators in a 77-43 victory over Avella in Class A, Section 2 play.

Geibel Catholic (2-1, 9-3) outscored the Eagles, 38-22, in the first half and 39-21 in the second.

Ava Henderson added 17 for the Gators.

Sydney Strope scored 19 to lead Avella (0-2, 2-10) in scoring. Teammate Ava Frank had 10.

Elizabeth Forward 49, Belle Vernon 27

The Warriors’ defense shut down the Leopards in a 49-27 triumph in Class 4A Section 3 play at Elizabeth Forward.

Elizabeth Forward (4-0, 11-2) had two players in double figures, as Mia Sustaric had a game-high 12 points and Kaelynn Settles added 10.

Kenzi Seliga led Belle Vernon (3-3, 6-7) in scoring with 9 points.

Boys results

Albert Gallatin 70, Belle Vernon 67

The Colonials outscored the Leopards by 10 points in the first quarter and seven in the fourth for a 70-67 victory in Class 4A Section 3 Thursday.

Albert Gallatin’s Blake White and Belle Vernon’s Zion Moore shared high-scoring honors with 25 points apiece. The Colonials’ Shymere Wilson had 22 and JJ Jackson added 13.

The Leopards’ Curtis Wade had 14 points.